His performances have led to calls for him to be included in England's World Cup squad. He has played for England 12 times, but has been capped only twice since Roy Hodgson became England boss almost two years ago.

And he told Sunderland’s official website: "It's always nice looking back on personal awards, but the main thing has been our rise up the league -- that and getting to the cup final have been the main highlights for me.

"It's been one of those spells I'm going through where everything's clicked for me. I feel good about myself and we’re looking like a good team."